Winery Virtual Tastings

Wineries offering online get-togethers via social media.This is where the owner or winemaker uses Facebook Live, Zoom or similar app to host a presentation and maybe take questions from viewers. It's been a great way to stay in touch during the current lockdown. It's a way for the winery to say, "Hey, remember us when you're able to come visit again and maybe buy some wine online from us now."

Some are going to be more interesting like this one put on by
Buena Vista as they hire trained actors. I've seen them live and
they're entertaining. Photo from AP.

 
In fact, an online get together along with offering some kind of deal on shipping is a great incentive to buy now.

The question becomes, why not do this all the time? 

Why would we do this only when we can't get to the winery in person? Most people don't live a short drive from their favorite wineries so they're not visiting anyway. Why not a once a month virtual tasting? And a online event with your club members when you release new wines to them? Wouldn't it be great if a club member in North Carolina could see the winemaker in California talking about the wines they just received? Wouldn't it be cool if that club member could ask the winemaker when do you think he should drink this new cabernet?

We may have just discovered a new tool to stay connected with our customers and make our club members feel like part of the family.

Not very many wineries are using this tool yet. Some that do host online meetings are doing a better job than others. You'll want a social media savvy person to help set this up. You'll want someone who can come across well in front of the camera. You'll want to test this before going live. None of it is rocket science.

However, as I said, some are doing better at these presentations than others. Some look very unprofessional where it's hard to hear or see who is talking or there's extraneous chatter. Some rattle on too much about one of their wines. One I watched for a few minutes was to be hosted by the owner and winemaker except the owner was late and the winemaker had to fill in time.There's no excuse.These are all great ways to have people get bored and drop off. 

If they've gone to the trouble to connect to a winery presentation then give them a reason to stay. Talk to them. Connect to them. I'm no expert on this, but there are people doing VLOGs about wine. Check out what others have been doing and learn how to do it right.